Pop Quiz: Joe Jonas of DNCE

Aidin Vaziri | Joe Jonas is savoring his second shot at fame. With the self-titled debut album by his dance-pop group DNCE, the former leader of the Disney-bred boy band the Jonas Brothers is back in the spotlight after a wobbly solo outing, “Fastlife,” in 2011. The band, whose first single, “Cake by the Ocean,” spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum 14 times in 10 countries, is on a tour of small clubs and could soon be back in arenas. We checked in on Jonas, 27, during rehearsals in Los Angeles.

Q: There aren’t many second chances in pop music. In fact, you put out a solo album that flopped after the Jonas Brothers first broke up. How did you pull it off this time?

A: It’s maybe timing. It could be the process. I’m proud of those songs, but these DNCE songs are closer to my heart. It’s a key word I keep saying. They’re fun. I think people want to smile in the day and age we’re going through.

Q: How do you explain the sound you were going for on this album?

A: It was difficult to explain. We want to get these different characters and make an A-team. We look up to bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, and Sly and the Family Stone, even artists like Bruno Mars. It’s the type of music we want to sound like, but it’s our own unique take on it. I’m excited it came together. We didn’t even think we would use “Cake.” It was just something we did for fun. But after we played it for a few friends, the response was so great we decided to put it out.